We are looking forward to our first FULL week of learning since Winter Break. We are also looking forward to some exciting events (Friendship Week and Parties, Tall and Small Decades Ball, PTA Online Auction, and of course our Spring Open House and Book Fair.

Please see below for the rest of this week's updates:

One Team One Dream: We're All in This Together

Sincerely,

Dr. Blackwell

Monday, February 3, 2025

• Wear Dooley Spirit Wear
• National School Counselor Week

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

• National School Counselor Week

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

• National School Counselor Week

Thursday, February 6, 2025

• National School Counselor Week

Friday, February 7, 2025

• Wear College T-Shirt
• All Pro Dads
• National School Counselor Week

Looking Ahead

• Feb. 10th-14th-Friendship Week
• Feb. 13th-Friendship Parties
• Feb. 13th-Tall and Small Decades Ball
• Feb. 13th-PTA General Meeting
• Feb. 14th-Friendship Parties
• Feb. 17th-18th-Student Holiday/Staff Work Day
• Mar. 2nd-9th-PTA Online Auction
• March 7th-All Pro Dads
• Mar. 10th-14th-PTA Spring Scholastic Book Fair
• Mar. 11th-Spring Picture Day
• Mar. 13th-Spring Open House
• Mar 13th-PTA Board Meeting

Please click below for the 2024-2025 Yearlong Calendar:

All Dooley families are invited to our first Tall and Small Decades Ball which will take place on Thursday, February 13th from 5:30-7:00 PM. We will have dancing in the gym, an Arts and Crafts station, Photobooth, Best Dressed Contest, snacks for sale and more! This event is a part of our Friendship Week celebration and this year's theme is "Dooley Through the Decades." At our Decades Ball families can choose a decade of their choice and we can't wait to see which decade will reign supreme!

Join us in celebrating Ms. Correa our School Counselor from February 3rd-7th. We encourage students and families to choose how they want to celebrate Ms. Correa and let her know how much we appreciate her being a part of our Dooley family!

Friendship Week will take place February 10th-14th and of course we have Dress Up Days! Please see the flyer below for info on our Dress Up Days and note our Friendship Parties date has changed to Friday, February 14th versus Thursday, February 13th which was on the original school calendar that was sent out at the beginning of the school year.

Winter MAP Family Reports containing important information related to your student(s)' academic growth from the beginning of the school year to the end of the first semester, have been sent home. Teachers will now be contacting parents and families to schedule an in-person parent conference to discuss Winter MAP testing results and other topics including celebrations or any other concerns.

Note: Middle Of the Year conferences are not required and parents and families are free to decline if there are no concerns.

Please feel free to call the front office and ask to speak with an Administrator with any questions related to Winter MAP testing and Middle Of the Year parent conferences.

At our Welcome Back assembly, we talked with students about an area of our school that was starting to become a problem, our restrooms. We reviewed our campus expectations and have been encouraging students to make sure they remember to FLUSH when going to the restroom throughout the day. Students were reminded of our posters that can be found near the restrooms to help them remember our Dragon expectations.

Additionally, during our Citizenship assemblies this week we are going to be recognizing the grade level that has been doing the best job following our FLUSH guidelines and 2 students will be crowned our first "Queen or King" of clean. We have adopted a school wide 3 minute time limit on restroom breaks (except for special circumstances) and students are aware that if problems continue to arise such as spending too much time in the restroom, horseplay, or not keeping the area clean that there will be consequences as follows including parent notification/involvement after 3 warnings.

We are sharing this focus with all of our families so that you can help us by reviewing the FLUSH poster with your Dragon(s) and asking them how they are helping to make sure our restrooms remain clean throughout the day and that how they make sure they return to class in a timely manner.

Please use this link Dooley School Report Card to access our School's Federal Report Card. The link is toward the bottom of the page on the right.

We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is key to student success. We encourage parents and guardians to stay actively involved in your child's education and to participate in the many opportunities for engagement throughout the year.

Whether through volunteering, attending school events, or simply staying in communication with your child's teacher, your involvement is invaluable.

Volunteer Update for 2024-25

VOLY, Plano ISD’s volunteer management platform, is open and ready for 2024-25! Every person who wishes to serve as a volunteer must complete/update a VOLY volunteer application and criminal history search each school year.

For more information, please direct volunteers to visit our district’s volunteer web page.

Plano ISD participates in the federal meal program, which provides free and reduced-price meals for students who qualify. Families who may qualify for meal benefits are encouraged to complete a federal meal application for the 2024-25 school year. Applications may be completed through SchoolCafé by logging in to your account, or by creating a new account.

Students who qualified for free or reduced-price meals at the end of last school year are eligible to participate at their current eligibility status for the first 30 operating days of the 2024-25 school year or until a new eligibility determination is made whichever comes first.

• In order for meal benefits to continue, a federal meal application for the 2024-25 school year must be completed.
• Students with no application on file after 30 operating days returned to full-paid eligibility status effective September 25, 2024.
• Households that have submitted a federal meal application for free or reduced-priced meals for the 2024-25 school year do not need to reapply.
• Households who wish to apply for free or reduced-priced meals will need to complete an online federal meal application for the current school year.
• Applications will be processed within 10 business days.
• Eligibility notification letters will be sent via email.
  • If you have not received the letter in your inbox, please check your junk and spam folders.

Please see the letter below for information for communication for addressing parent and family concerns.

We are ready to launch our Birthday Marquee announcement! Parents will need to complete this form: Dooley Birthday Marquee and then either drop off payment to the front office (cash or check only) or students can turn payments in to their teachers.

Please see below for general info and guidelines:

• Birthday Announcement cost: $25 Payments will be accepted in the front office and for now we will only be able to accept cash or checks for payment
• The Birthday Announcement form will need to be completed on Thursdays the week before the birthday
• We will attempt to place as many student names as possible
• Because our marquee is not digital, there is limited space when there are school announcements
• At this time we believe we can allow up to 5 names per week.

While we are excited to begin, we ask for patience as we work out kinks and try and make this an enjoyable experience for all. This fundraiser will be ongoing throughout the school year and allows us to pay for items such as transportation for field trips and supplemental classroom materials not purchased by the district. Thank you in advance for helping to make sure our students have lasting educational experiences!

Please click the link for our 2024-2025 Parent and Family Handbook. Let’s work together to ensure a positive and productive start to the school year!

Arrival and Dismissal

As a reminder our tardy bell rings at 7:40 AM. We ask that you please help us by dropping your Dragon(s) off no later than 7:35 AM to make sure they are in class and ready to learn by the time the tardy bell rings. NOTE: We began counting tardies this past Monday. Keep in mind if a student arrives at 7:40 AM or later, a parent or guardian will need to come inside and sign their student(s) in.

We are excited to invite parents and adult family members to enjoy lunch with their Dooley Dragon beginning Tuesday, September 2nd. There are designated tables in the cafeteria for students and their parent or family member to enjoy lunch together.

We do ask that parents and family members only bring and eat lunch with their student and do not bring lunch or invite other students to eat with you and your child(ren). Also, as a reminder all visitors must present an ID in the front office before being allowed to enter the campus.

Thank you for helping us keep our students' safety a top priority!

We are excited to tell you that we will be using PurposeFull People this year, a program that teaches skills to help students be successful in school and in life. Purposefull People has three main goals for students: Be Kind, Be Strong, and Be Well.

Be Kind: Social skills like listening, friendship, solving conflicts, and leadership. These skills are taught alongside Empathy, Respect, & Cooperation

Be Strong: Skills that help students focus, stay organized, and set goals. These skills are taught alongside Responsibility, Courage, & Perseverance

Be Well: Skills that help students handle their emotions and deal with stress. These skills are taught alongside Gratitude, Honesty, & Creativity

This year, you’ll be invited to join the fun! We will send letters home about the skills and strengths being taught each month. Each letter will include some ways to build these skills at home, discussion starters, and fun challenges you can try with your family.

Mission Statement: We aim to foster a culture of excellence, respect, and continuous growth for all students.

Email: kim.blackwell@pisd.edu
Website: http://k12.pisd.edu/dooley-elementary-school
Location: 2425 San Gabriel Drive, Plano, TX, United States
Phone: 469-752-1100